California Remains Top Spot for Vehicle Thefts
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that 2008 marked the nation’s fifth consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts in the United States. Although most areas experienced a reduction in vehicle theft, there were several noteworthy exceptions in states that border Mexico.
California ranked No. 1 in total vehicle thefts, with six of the top 10 hotspots for vehicle theft in 2008 in the Golden State. The Texas metropolitan statistical area (MSA) of El Paso, Laredo and San Antonio, along with Las Cruces in New Mexico, each saw an increase in 2008. (See Top 10 Hotspots below)
NICB’s Hot Spots report examined vehicle theft data obtained from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation’s MSAs. MSAs are designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and often include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named. For example, the Modesto MSA includes the entire county of Stanislaus and other municipalities in addition to the city of Modesto.
The rate is determined by the number of vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants using the 2008 U.S. Census Population Estimates, the most current figures available.
Preliminary 2008 crime data released by the FBI in January indicates that 2008 will post a double-digit decline in vehicle theft when final numbers are released in the fall. If the preliminary figure of -12.6 percent holds, it will be the largest single year percent drop in thefts since 1999. All the top 10 hotspots for 2008 saw a decline in the total number of vehicle thefts for that MSA from 2007.
“This is a mixed bag of good news and bad news on the vehicle theft front,” said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and CEO. “The good news is, we’re seeing steady progress in reducing the overall theft rate and that means Americans aren’t shelling out as much to cover the cost of stolen vehicles in their insurance premiums. We’ve also seen significant decreases in key areas along the border such as San Diego, where thefts dropped nearly 20 percent.
“The bad news is that the theft rate continues to increase in areas like El Paso and Laredo where many of the cars, trucks and SUVs being stolen are being used to carry drugs, money and weapons into and out of Mexico,” Wehrle continued. “These vehicle thefts are helping finance the drug cartels that are waging war on the Mexican government.
“NICB has a long history of working with U.S. and Mexican authorities to recover and return stolen vehicles — more than 4,000 last year alone. We strongly support efforts at the federal and state levels to reduce the flow of stolen vehicles across the border,” Wehrle said
The National Insurance Crime Bureau, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations.
For information on Hot Spots, visit www.nicb.org.
2008 Top 10 Vehicle Theft Hotspots
Source: NICB